Christmas decorating ideas

Warm ways to spruce up your Christmas surroundings

Decorating your home for the holidays is a fun way to fill your family and guests alike with Christmas cheer. There are many Christmas decorating ideas that will turn your home into a warm and festive place in which to celebrate and be merry.

Illuminating your walkway with candles or lanterns and placing shimmering lights in your trees and bushes is a great way to make your home look inviting. Guests will feel welcome the moment they turn into your driveway. Continue the warm welcome by wrapping your front door with a large Christmas colored ribbon and hanging jingle bells on the door. Not only is the sound of the bells festive, it's a fun way to announce that your guests have arrived.

Christmas decorating ideas that are easy to do include hanging mistletoe or walnut clusters tied with Christmas colored bows throughout your home. Another beautiful way to decorate for the holidays is to fill glass vases with berries, holiday colored beads or artificial gold coins. Line them up on a mantle, table or shelf to create an elegant effect in any room.

Displaying wrapped gifts around your home is a fun and festive way to decorate for the holidays. Not done your shopping yet? Wrap empty boxes of all shapes and sizes in beautiful Christmas paper and adorn them with bows and sprigs of greenery.

Thinking of Christmas decorating ideas to dress your home for the holidays is both fun and easy. Try placing tall twigs and branches into an umbrella stand and decorating them with red, white or gold ribbons. You can also put your summer planters to use by wrapping them in Christmas paper and planting poinsettias in them.

Candles are a wonderful way to create ambience and warmth. Place pillar candles in groups on mantels or tables and surround them with garland or cranberries to add a festive touch. Putting a silver tray under the candles not only protects the surface of your furniture but also creates elegance. Placing lit candles in front of a mirror is another lovely way to turn candlelight into a beautiful decoration.

The mirrors in your home are just waiting to be adorned with your Christmas decorating ideas. Drape tiny tree lights on them along with swags and garlands for a beautiful effect. Hanging a mini wreath decorated with cranberries at the top middle of the frame is also a great way to dress up any mirror in your home.

Using fragrance is a charming way to fill your home with the feel of Christmas. Simmering cinnamon sticks on the stove before your guests arrive is an easy way to make your home smell festive. Lighting scented candles will accomplish this as well.

Tying Christmas bows around your home is a classy way to add color and mood for the holidays. Bows can be tied around banisters and doorknobs, draped across mirrors or tied around the bases of pillar candles to dress them up. In addition, simply tying your curtains back with Christmas bows and ribbons is a beautiful and easy way to add color and that holiday feeling to any room.

A simple way to add holiday atmosphere to any room is to place glass Christmas ornaments in a large bowl and put the bowl on a table. Using one color of ornaments in different sizes will add class and elegance. Silver and gold candlesticks can be turned into beautiful Christmas decorating ideas. Simply place Christmas ball ornaments on the candlesticks and place them together on a shelf or a mantel.

Figurines are also a great way to add festivity to your home. Grouping snowmen, angels or other pieces together is an easy way to decorate.

A beautiful and sentimental Christmas decorating idea is to put photos of your family celebrating past Christmases in silver and gold frames around your home. Arranging them in groups is a great way to see how much you have all changed from holiday to holiday and will invite lively conversation as the photos bring back memories of past celebrations.

These are just a few of the many Christmas decorating ideas you can use to help you and yours surround yourself with the beauty of the holiday season. Enjoy!